Gritty Commerce City laughing all the way to the bank

More than a refinery. Commerce City's population grew 119 percent in the past decade, to 45,913 people, making it the fastest-growing city in Adams County. (Andy Cross, Denver Post file)

COMMERCE CITY — Coloradans poked fun at this gritty industrial town for more than half a century, but look who's laughing now.

Colorado Springs turned off a third of its streetlights to help cope with a budget crisis. Not Commerce City, which not only has kept the lights on but also paid to put them on roads where the state couldn't afford to.

Denver raised rec center fees and abolished vacant positions and still faces a $25 million shortfall. Not Commerce City, which has $12.2 million in reserves — $11 million more than required by law.

The state of Colorado hasn't given raises in three years, and fears over next year's budget remain. Not Commerce City, where city workers have received raises every year.

Glen Murray, who unsuccessfully sued the city to stop his land from being annexed, is thrilled that the mayor is term-limited in November.

But admirers include Adams County native Mike Beasley, the director of local government under former GOP Gov. Bill Owens.

Beasley said Commerce City, once known as a haven for "backroom deals," has sought public input as it changed.

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"Commerce City now is a place where people want to live and work," Beasley said. "Their leadership team has blended urban renewal and new development in a way that is a model for the rest of state — and they've done it in a difficult economy.

"It's a pretty amazing story."

Spared of hiring freezes, layoffs

Commerce City's population grew 119 percent in the past decade, to 45,913 people, making it the fastest-growing city in Adams County.

Much of the growth has come in the northern part of the city, where the transformation that is the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge is to the south and Denver International Airport is to the east. Million-dollar homes can be seen from the city-owned Buffalo Run Golf Course.

But it's the southern part of town — the area north of Interstate 70, where industry mixes with modest homes — that most Coloradans think of, if they think of Commerce City at all.

United Parcel Service is the city's largest employer, and it and other freight companies dot the southern landscape.

A refinery that belched flames and fumes earned Commerce City the nickname "Stinkytown." It's now owned by Suncor Energy USA, the city's sixth-largest employer.

New homes near Denver International Airport contrast with the older homes in town. (RJ Sangosti, The Denver Post)

With the possible exception of towns with small populations, Radtke said he thinks Commerce City is the lone Colorado municipality that has been spared hiring freezes, layoffs and budget shortfalls during the economic free-for-all.

"I'm not surprised by that," he said. "They've been very aggressive in trying to stimulate the economy."

"We are in the best shape"

Natale, a former Lakewood police officer who worked for the Colorado Department of Revenue for 23 years, moved from Jefferson County to Commerce City in 2001.

New homes near Denver International Airport contrast with the older homes in town. (RJ Sangosti, The Denver Post)

Dealing with a problem with his homeowners association raised Natale's profile, and neighbors asked him to run for the Commerce City Council in 2005. Almost immediately, he clashed with some. Natale, used to the state's stricter rules on expenses, said he questioned picking up the tab for spouses on out-of-state trips and such.

Natale ran for mayor in 2007, the same year residents were asked whether they wanted to dump "Commerce City" in favor of a yet-to-be- selected name. The measure failed by a better than a 2-to-1 ratio.

Among those who voted "no" was Mac McFarlin, 60, who has lived in Commerce City since he was 8.

"It is what it is. Part of the reason we are in the best shape of any metro city is because we are Commerce City," he said.

Natale said one of the first things he did as mayor was to end the practice of having limousines waiting for City Council members when they arrived in Washington, D.C., for business. He was stunned the first time it happened after he was elected to the council.

"They argued that it was cheaper than a taxi," he said. "Well, not when you have a limo for each council member."

Murray, the Commerce City resident who can't wait for Natale to leave office, ticked off a litany of injustices he believes Commerce City officials are guilty of, including offering tax rebates, annexing reluctant property owners and giving city workers raises in a tough economy.

Murray is particularly incensed about the city's recent purchase of the former Mile High Greyhound Park, which it plans to make into a 65-acre mixed-use development. Commerce City paid $3.3 million for the track, which officials said was $2 million less than the original asking price.

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